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Racecourse Media Group Chairman Roger Lewis extends term until October 2023
Racecourse Media Group (RMG) has announced that its Chairman, Roger Lewis, has extended his post until October 2023 in order to assist RMG transition to a new Chair.
Roger Lewis has been on the RMG Board for over 10 years during which time RMG has increased its licence fees and dividend payments to its racecourses from £45m to over £110m .
He joined the RMG Board in 2012 and was appointed Non-Executive Independent Chairman on January 1, 2019. He was due to step down in 2022 but has been asked by the Board to extend his tenure. A new Chair will be appointed in 2023.
Lewis, said: “RMG is in great shape, and it is an honour to be asked to continue to Chair the company. We have a strong board and an outstanding team of executives, led by CEO, Martin Stevenson, who together have delivered in spectacular fashion for our racecourses and indeed for the sport of racing.
“We are on track to exceed our record results of last year and we pay tribute to everyone in racing, and give thanks to our racecourses, for allowing RMG to manage their media and data rights across the world.”
Under Roger Lewis’s leadership RMG paid £110m to its racecourse shareholders in 2021. Those payments, earned through racecourses’ media and data rights, exceeded pre-Covid levels.
In the same year, RMG agreed British racecourse licence extensions for audio-visual and data rights for a new five-year term until December 31, 2028.
RMG has also been entrusted with significant broadcast rights of Irish racing since 2019, when Racing UK relaunched as Racing TV, with the strapline of “The best of British and Irish racing.”
RMG is 100% owned by its racecourse shareholders and pays 100% of operating profit back to racecourses, which, in turn, benefits the sport. This collective and collaborative approach has enabled RMG’s businesses to become the biggest single funder of British horseracing.
On the back of that approach and with long-term certainty and confidence in the business, media rights and data revenues are, this year, tracking to exceed 2021’s payments to shareholders.
Nevin Truesdale, CEO of Jockey Club Racecourses, chief shareholder in RMG, said: “I would like to pay tribute to Roger Lewis for a very effective and successful stewardship of RMG, a business which is of fundamental importance to the financial performance of racecourses and therefore to the whole sport of horseracing.
“Under Roger’s leadership, we have faced a number of challenges, in particular during the Covid pandemic, where the robustness of the RMG model was critical to maintaining racecourse financial stability in the absence of other revenue streams for a sustained period. Roger’s influence in establishing long-term deals with key commercial betting and broadcast partners during his tenure has also been hugely positive. On behalf of everyone at the Jockey Club, I would like to thank Roger for all he has done for the business.”
Martin Stevenson, CEO of RMG, added: “We are delighted Roger Lewis has agreed to stay on for almost another year. Roger has been instrumental in the development and success of RMG over the last decade and I very much look forward to continuing to work closely with Roger and the Board as we continue to invest and develop our media assets and new products. Innovations, such as enhancements on the channel – headlined by the virtual ‘green screen’ studio – the Watch & Bet product, ultra-low latency pictures, the investment in on-screen timing data graphics, and capturing the in-play opportunities are all key to the business’s continued success.
“These workstreams, allied to growing our social media audience, securing increased ITV coverage and enhancing international exposure and revenues, will contribute to directing more eyeballs on to our racing and therefore will drive betting turnover, subscriptions, and sponsorship opportunities for the sport. RMG is one the most successful sporting and media rights companies in Britain and Ireland and I look forward to working with Roger in 2023 to take RMG to even greater heights.”
Roger Lewis has held senior positions at the BBC, ITV, Classic FM, EMI and Decca and was GCEO of the Welsh Rugby Union and the Millennium Stadium for nine years. He has held and holds a number of senior positions in the cultural sector for the UK and Welsh Governments.
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Summer is here and it is time for Slotsoo’s signature celebration of the iGaming industry. The Slotsoo Casino Awards return for its third edition, continuing the tradition of highlighting operators who excel in delivering a top-tier player experience. This year also marks an exciting expansion with the inaugural Slotsoo Game Provider Awards, giving long-overdue recognition to the creators of great slots.
The New Game Provider Awards and the Winners
Game providers are sometimes overshadowed by casinos, but in reality, both are equally important to the online casino experience. That’s why Slotsoo is proud to shine a spotlight on the studios behind the reels. The winners of Slotsoo’s first provider-focused awards were announced on 24 July 2025, and the honors went to:
- The Machine MVP – Pragmatic Play
- Bonus Buyer – Bullshark Games
- Volatility Virtuoso – Wazdan
- Jackpot Jumbo – Mancala Gaming
- Symphony Spinner – Gamzix
- Reel Renegade – Nolimit City
- Promising Prodigy – Slammer Studios
Please visit the Slotsoo Game Provider Awards page for detailed descriptions of each trophy and the motivations behind the winners.
The Anatomy of Slotsoo’s Trophies: Where Fun Meets Serious Recognition
At Slotsoo, each trophy is whimsical by design but grounded in real player values, making the Slotsoo Awards both entertaining and insightful. Every category has a clear purpose, recognizing what truly matters in iGaming today.
At the core of each awards lineup is a main trophy: The Gambling GOAT honors the top-performing casino operator, while The Machine MVP celebrates the best overall game provider. Surrounding these main awards are a collection of supporting trophies, spotlighting specific areas of excellence, from fast withdrawals and fun bonuses to volatility and winning potential.
These award categories offer a chance for actors who crush it in a certain area to be recognized, even if they don’t dominate across the board. Just like other iGaming awards, Slotsoo includes a category for newcomers, encouraging fresh talent and pushing established names to keep innovating.
The timing of the awards is also a deliberate choice. Markus Björk, head writer at Slotsoo, explains the team’s reasoning:
“After a hectic Winter and Spring packed with iGaming events, June and July offer a rare chance for the industry to slow down and reflect on the year so far. Let’s enjoy the cucumber season and appreciate what’s been achieved. This is when you can harvest the rewards of your hard work before autumn arrives with new challenges and opportunities.”
The Winning Casino Operators 2025
The Slotsoo Casino Awards 2025 took place in June, and these were the seven winners:
- The Gambling GOAT – Betizy
- The Bonus Buff – Sugarino
- The Loyalty Lord – Wisho
- The Withdrawal Wizard – Vauhdikas
- The Gamification Guru – Arctic Casino
- The Payout Professor – Wolfy Casino
- The Noisy Newcomer – Lunar Spins
This was the third time Slotsoo held the casino awards for its English-language site targeting the EU market in general. During the same period, the dedicated awards for the Finnish market, Slotsoo Kasinogaala 2025, celebrated its second year. These awards consist of seven trophies equivalent to the English ones, plus an eighth trophy dedicated to the casino operator with the best slot streaming offering.
The Nordic country is undergoing big changes, with a new gambling legislation and a licensing system planned to be introduced by 1 January 2027. The future will tell how this will affect the structure and categories of the awards.
The post Slotsoo Awards 2025: Celebrating Excellence Across Casinos and Game Providers appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
SOFTSWISS, a global tech provider with over 15 years of iGaming expertise, proudly announces the launch of its major South African project with Mzansibet. It marks the first project in the country to utilise both the SOFTSWISS Sportsbook and the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform.
According to the recently released South Africa: iGaming Market Overview 2025 by SOFTSWISS, the country’s iGaming sector is growing at an impressive annual rate of 20–25%, driven by increasing mobile penetration. In line with this trend and evolving player needs, SOFTSWISS strongly focuses on mobile optimisation across its platforms, enabling seamless and enjoyable gaming experiences for Mzansibet players.
The launch in South Africa, ensuring full compliance with local technical standards, required meticulous preparation. SOFTSWISS products – including its sports betting software and online casino platform – underwent rigorous certification with Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), one of the most reputable and globally recognised independent testing laboratories in the iGaming industry. Following this process, the solutions were officially approved for local operation by the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board – a respected and influential regulator in the region – affirming the high quality and compliance of SOFTSWISS software.
Max Trafimovich, International Non-Executive Director at SOFTSWISS, shares: “Mzansibet entered the market with a bold ambition to become a top-tier brand – and we are not only proud to support that vision from day one, but also well-equipped to ensure its sustainable growth. Leveraging our global and local expertise, we provide the technical, business, and service tools necessary for a smooth launch and scalable development. This is made possible thanks to our robust and stable architecture with 99.999% uptime and a flexible platform ecosystem. In addition, the brand launched a nationwide TV advertising campaign and has already attracted tens of thousands of players across the country – a powerful testament to its growing presence and trust.”
In addition to backend certification, the SOFTSWISS team invested heavily in frontend localisation to align with the partner’s vision and market requirements. The Mzansibet project has been fully adapted to meet South African player behaviour and betting patterns.
About SOFTSWISS
SOFTSWISS is an international technology company with over 15 years of experience developing innovative solutions for the iGaming industry. SOFTSWISS provides comprehensive software for managing iGaming projects. The company’s product portfolio includes the Online Casino Platform, the Game Aggregator with over 35,000 casino games, the Affilka Affiliate Platform, the Sportsbook Software and the Jackpot Aggregator. In 2013, SOFTSWISS revolutionised the industry by introducing the world’s first Bitcoin-optimised online casino solution. The expert team counts over 2,000 employees.
The post SOFTSWISS Launches First South African Project with Mzansibet appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
The post Lee Hills Joins the International Association of Gaming Advisors appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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